The New York Times abruptly removed its executive editor, Jill Abramson, less than three years after she became the first woman appointed to the job, replacing her with the paper's No. 2 editor, Dean Baquet.

Times Co. Chairman Arthur Sulzberger Jr., publisher of the flagship title, decided on the shift, believing "new leadership would improve some aspects of the management of the newsroom," said Eileen Murphy, a spokeswoman...